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Monday, May 29, 2006
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
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Top Democrat slams AIPAC prosecution
The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee questioned the statute used to prosecute two former AIPAC lobbyists.
The committee heard testimony last Friday on how to balance First Amendment protections with the need to stem leaks.
Some Republicans counseled the prosecution of recipients of leaks, including journalists.
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, blasted such talk. “If anyone here wants to imprison journalists, I invite them to spend some time in China, Cuba or North Korea and see whether they feel safer,” she said. She singled out for criticism the prosecution of Steve Rosen, the former foreign policy director at American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and Keith Weissman, its former Iran analyst.
Harman said the 1917 statute used in the case was too broad. It is the first time the statute has been used in a prosecution.
Iran boosts Hezbollah´s reach
Hezbollah reportedly has rockets putting most of Israel´s cities within range. Haaretz reported Monday that Iran had supplied its Lebanese proxy with rockets that have a range of 125 miles, meaning a potential reach of as far south in Israel as Beersheba. Israel fears that Iran could try to distract from internatinal scrutiny on its nuclear program by sparking a flare-up in fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. On Sunday, the two sides traded fire in the fiercest clash along the Israel-Lebanon border in years.
Senate delays P.A. vote
The U.S. Senate delayed consideration of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act.
The Senate was due to have voted last Friday on the act, cutting off assistance to the Palestinian Authority, but a security scare stemming from an erroneous report of gunfire in the Rayburn Senate Office Building delayed business until after the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
With 89 co-sponsors, the act is guaranteed passage. It would cut assistance to the Palestinian Authority, but differs from a version passed last week in the U.S. House of Representatives by allowing the president greater leeway in delivering emergency assistance to the Palestinians.
It also narrows the bill’s scope, limiting its restrictions to governments led by the Hamas terrorist group.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee strongly supports both versions. Dovish pro-Israel groups favor the Senate version.
Jewish group calls for energy legislation
The American Jewish Congress urged passage of a bill that would facilitate U.S.-Israel energy cooperation.
Both houses are considering legislation that would help spur Israeli research into energy-saving technology.
Israel is a leader in the field, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert revived the proposal for such cooperation in his address to both houses of Congress last week.
The AJCongress has lobbied for the legislation since it sponsored a conference in Israel in 2003, bringing together energy officials from both governments.
http://www.jta.org/
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